Perputuum Mobile Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
1. Perpetuum Mobile is a conceptual black metal/grindcore project forcusing on alchemical emblems for its imagery. Heliogabalus from Thecodontion is on vocals and drum programming, Warrior from Aisna and Ancestral Vision is on guitar and drum programming, and I came up with the whole concept, design and lyrics, and helped a bit with programming as well.

2.You have an ep coming out towards the end of September, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on this recording?
2. There are going to be 10 songs on the records, short but very intense pieces of blackened and chaotic hardcore/grindcore.

3.The lyrics on the ep are based upon the writings of mystic Dionysius Andreas Freher, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in his work and also do you have an interest in other mystics?
3. I've always been fascinated with medieval emblems, not just Freher's "Paradoxa Emblemata", but also other works like Claude Paradin's "Devises heroiques", Andrea Alciato's "Emblemata" and Guillaume La Perrière's "Le theatre des bons engins". We used some of the emblems featured in these works as artworks for some Xenoglossy Productions releases already, but we wanted to explore the concept thoroughly in a single project. I love the emblematic quality of Freher's inscriptions especially, and they worked perfectly as lyrics for the record.
Other than Freher, I love "The Key of Solomon" and "The Lesser Key". "The Book of the Law" and "of Lies" by Crowley are two other obvious mentions. I also really liked "The Sword of Satan", by former Maudlin of the Well member Jason Byron.


4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Perpetuum Mobile'?
4. The name means "perpetual motion" in Latin, the term refers to a device that's always moving. It's taken from emblem number 76 of the "Paradoxa Emblemata": "What thou hast of One yield/ to that One again if thou intendest to keep it?/Only by so doing canst thou be/a perpetuum Mobile". It's used as the first verse of the first song on the record.

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork on the ep cover?

5. The cover artwork and the other two additional pieces of artwork in the inner panels are all emblems taken from the "Paradoxa Emblemata", together with their respective inscriptions. It's was an obvious choice to feature artwork from Freher's opus, being the very concept of the record.

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
6. We've never played shows with this project and don't intend to.


7.Do you have any touring or show plans once the ep is released?
7. No, this is a studio only project.


8.The ep is going to be released through 'Xenoglossy Productions', how did you get in contact with this label?
8. We are the same guys that run Xenoglossy Productions actually, so it was an obvious choice to release this project with our label.

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal and hardcore punk?
9. The few people that know about this project already have all been interested in the peculiar concept and the artwork-focused packaging and how uniquely it goes with this abrasive style of music, we hope this is a good sign for the immediate future of the release.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
10. This is probably going to be a single release project but we'll see, we might probably do more releases focused on emblems, but we have other priorities right now.


11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
11. Metalpunk and black metal/punk acts like Ornamental Headpiece, Bone Awl, Cirrhus and Raspberry Bulbs; and blackened grindcore bands like Dephosphorus are our main influences for this project. I listen to a lot of different stuff everyday when I'm working, but coincidentally I've listened to Cirrhus again just yesterday.


12.What are some of your non musical interests?
12. Obviously books and illustration works. Other than that, I'm a fan of weird/experimental movies and videogames.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
13. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to talk about this project and its concept!

Xenoglossy Productions